We have a long interest in developing new tools for cryobiology: a key challenge is looking at Nature for inspiration. In our latest work, in collaboration with Tom Whale and Kew Gardens, we explore how a range of ice nucleating macromolecules from >50 pollen species nucleate ice. This appears to suggest that the ice nucleation behaviour is incidental, as there is not link between activity and the type of pollen, nor its geographical habitat. This opens up new avenues for us to discover and either use, or mimic, these materials for low temperature challenges, such as cell cryopreservation.
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